Day 51

DAY 51 – Sunday

We woke early to see the sun coming up over the Coral Sea.  The colours were beautiful.  Then we got up and had breakfast.  Today we were going to drive to Elim Beach to see the coloured sands. 

Sunrise from our Bedroom

Beautiful Sunrise

On the way we took a small detour to see Isabella Falls.  Much to Thomas’ delight, this turned out to be a water crossing which Darren drove through twice.  The water ran across the road, and then flowed down the waterfall.

The tourist brochures said that we needed a permit to go to the coloured sands and that we could get one from the campground when we got there, so we went straight to the campground.  We were greeted by Eddie, who proceeded to tell us that it was $10 for a car for the day.  We gave him the cash and then headed to the coloured sands.

The road was very sandy, and took us to a small parking area at the edge of a secluded beach.  We had to walk along the beach, across the high tide line, for about 500metres.  When we found the coloured sands, it was made up of large cliffs of varying colours.  We walked in through the bush and scraped different colours into bags so that we could make layers in jars when we get home.  Then we met up with another couple and they said that Eddie had told them that he doesn’t sell the passes anymore.  We decided that we would go and get our money back from Eddie, and go and buy a proper pass at the service station in town, so that the money would go the right place.

Colored Sands Beach

We made our way back to the campground and Darren asked Eddie for the Pass that we had paid for.  He tried to tell us that we didn’t need to get a pass, just needed to pay the money.  In the end after arguing the point, he agreed to give us or money back so that we could get a proper pass from the service station.
On the way back to Cooktown, we called in to Endeavour Falls for a look.  It is actually part of a caravan park, and you have to get permission from the park to access the falls.  They had no problem with us looking at the falls, and the boys even got to feed their pet barramundi first.

Endeavour Falls

When we got back to Cooktown, we drove down to the pier and the boys went to see if anyone was catching any fish.  There was nothing being caught, so we drove along the beachfront and headed back to the house.  We had lunch and then an afternoon nap. 

The boys decided to go fishing at the beach.  They met another fisherman down there who gave them an idea of the best bait and lures to use.  He even gave them a couple of lures to use.  After an unsuccessful bit of fishing, they came back to the house and we went to the RSL for a roast tea.

Day 50

DAY 50 – Saturday

We had a bit of a sleep-in, and then went into town to the Saturday Market.  The market was held on the foreshore, and consisted of about 7 stalls.  We bought some novels for Thomas, and walked around having a look at the other stalls.  Then Darren saw Katie (Harris, Teresa’s niece) and said hello.  We stopped and chatted for a while, swapping phone numbers with the idea of maybe catching up for a bbq tea another night. Then Thomas saw a man with a baby kangaroo wrapped in a blanket.  He was able to have a hold of the joey, and we took a picture.

After the market, we went to Grassy Hill Lookout and admired the 360 degree views of Cooktown.  From there we went to the Captain Cook Museum, and spent a couple of hours looking at the exhibits.  It was very interesting reading the diary entries of Captain Cook and some of the other people on the Endeavour.  Meanwhile, Mitch and Thomas tried to crack the safe without success.

Thomas at the Lookout

The cemetery was our next stop, and it was very interesting walking around reading the headstones, some of which had interesting historical stories attached.  We searched everywhere for the grave that Harry had told Mitch to find, but in the end we had to ring Harry to find out which one he meant.

That afternoon Hawthorn was playing and the game was on tv, so we headed back to the house.  Hawthorn won easily which set a happy mood in the house.  The boys decided to try their luck fishing off the rocks, and I went for a walk along the beach, collecting a few stones and shells as I went.  No luck with the fishing again, so we headed back to the house and had some tea, then sat down and watched a movie before bed.

Full Moon from our Balcony

Day 49

Day 49 – Friday
When we got up, Mitchell and Thomas went to play with Xavier and Dustin.  Darren had to move the van because a truck needed to get into the property today to deliver some sand.  Mitchell helped Xavier collect some seeds and put them into a water bottle to make a shaker.  Darren and I packed the car for our trip to Cooktown.  We said goodbye to Julia and the boys and drove around the various National Parks to get to Cooktown, stopping at a lookout along the way.
Once at Cooktown, Darren rang Patrick and got directions to the house.  We stopped at a bakery for lunch and found our way to the house.  It is a beautiful spot, with a double storey timber house overlooking The Coral Sea.  The boys found a bedroom downstairs, where Mitch was pleased to get a double bed, and Thomas was excited to be able to sleep on the top bunk.
I found the laundry downstairs and started catching up on the washing that I had bought with me, while Mitchell and Thomas headed down the steps at the front to explore the beach.  Then Darren and I decided to walk down to the beach.  Basically, at the bottom of some steep steps through the bush that makes up the front yard, you step directly on to a beautiful secluded stony beach.  We went for a walk along the beach, before making our way back to the house.

Mitchell and Thomas decided to stay and watch a bit of tv while Darren and I went back into town to find the supermarket and get some bait.  The guy at the bait shop told Darren that he saw a kid catching Barramundi off the rocks near the house a couple of weeks ago.  When we got back, we sat on the balcony enjoying the serenity.  Then the boys decided it was time for fishing so Darren went downstairs and started to set up their lines.

After tea we drove down to the pier and Darren, Mitchell and Thomas fished while I read a book.  I sat on the pier with them for a while, but then I got cold and moved into the car.  Thomas was fishing with a multi-hook jig to try and catch some bait fish to use on the other lines.  He had the first success, catching small mackerel, much to his delight.  It was quickly moved to another line and cast back in.  The only other success for the night was when Mitch caught a deck chair.  It was still fairly new, and obviously hadn’t been under the water for long, so he decided it was a keeper.

Day 48

DAY 48 – Thursday

Mitchell and Thomas got up early and took their rods down to the lake to get in a bit of early morning fishing, while Darren and I had showers and packed up the camp.  Then we headed into Atherton and got fuel before headed to The Crystal Caves.

The caves are the result of many worldwide expeditions by one single man.  It is an awesome collection of crystals and semi-precious gems, which are displayed in man-made caves beneath a shop in the main street.  To enter we had to put on hard hats, and were given a paper guide to help us identify each of the displays.  The main attraction of the caves is the worlds’ largest amethyst, at 3.5metres high.  They also had a specially lit display of stones that “glowed” in the light.  The boys were both impressed and very interested in the many different crystals and fossils that were on display.

When we left Atherton, we drove to Mount Malloy, past many crops of bananas, sugar cane and varieties of nuts.  We pulled up at Julias’ property and parked the van.  It wasn’t long before Xavier (2 years old) and Dustin(6 months) woke up from their afternoon naps so that the boys could play with them.  We spent the afternoon chatting with Julia, while Mitchell and Thomas kept Xavier amused.  When it was time for the little ones to go to bed, we headed back to the van and cooked tea.  The boys watched a James Bond movie before going to sleep in the van.

Day 47

DAY 47 – Wednesday

Woke up, packed up and got back on the road.  About ten minutes down the road we came to a sign saying “Millstream Falls”.  I had a look on the map and it said that they were the widest falls in Australia, so we decided to have a look.  We found a park and headed off along the walking track.  A school bus had pulled up not long before us, so the viewing platform was choc-full of kids.  We waited until they were finished and then had a look at the falls.  They were really beautiful, with a very wide area of the creek flowing over the rocks.  We took a few photos and made our way back to the car.

The road through to Atherton was a very picturesque drive through the mountains, although it was very hilly and wound through the hills.  We found that Lake Tinaroo was nearby, and after looking at the QLD accommodation guide decided to stay Yungaburra Caravan Park on the edge of the lake.  The boys had a taste of fishing and that’s what they wanted to do.

The caravan park was lovely and green, and the green lawns went right down to the edge of the lake.  Darren and I set up the camp, while the boys grabbed their rods and headed to the waters’ edge.  They fished for a while and then had a quick swim while we were watching.  Then Mitch decided t stay and fish while Darren, Thomas and I went into town to do some shopping and get some bait.  Thomas found some magazines about “hot” Utes on special, and decided to buy them to read.

When we got back to the park, we all went down to the lake with Mitch.  I read a magazine and did a crossword, while Thomas read his magazines and fished.  Darren and Mitchell changed their rods from lures to hooks, and we all relaxed for a couple of hours.  Darren and Thomas both caught small cod, and Mitch caught a Sooty Grunter.

When it started to get cold, we went back to the van for tea, and then all had showers before bed.  It was a bit of a novelty having tv, so we watched a bit of that too!

Day 46

DAY 46 – Tuesday

First thing we did when we got up was to go down to the river and check the nets.  We had caught a total of 3 red claws and two fish.  As it wasn’t really enough to make it worth cooking them, we decided to put them back.  We went back to the van and chatted to our neighbours before having breakfast and getting on the road again.

We stopped at Georgetown for fuel and then found a shady spot beside the road to stop and have lunch.  While we were having lunch we got out Camps 6 and tried to work out a plan for the day.  We couldn’t decide what to do so we decided to just drive until we found something.
At about 3.30pm we drove into Innot Hot Springs.  Darren went to the office of the Caravan Park to find out where we could go for a swim.  The caravan park had 6 different pools that were fed by the springs.  Each one had a different amount of cold water added so that each pool was a different temperature.  It was going to cost $24 for us just to swim in the pools, and as we only had about an hour to spare we decided to go for a walk along the creek beside the park instead.
The creek was fed by the springs, and the boys proceeded to paddle their feet in the water, only to find that the water was bloody hot!!  In fact, it was too hot to be able to stay comfortably in any part of the creek.

We got back in the car and found a free camp about 15km up the road called Archer Creek Campground.  It was a lovely spot, with nice grassy sites beside a creek.  The boys immediately grabbed their towels and went for a swim in the icy water, while Darren grabbed his fishing rod and tried his luck.  Thomas got cold fairly quickly and was happy to wander along the edge of the creek climbing on logs.  Mitch was happy swimming in the cold water, retrieving Darren’s’ lures when they got stuck on the rocky bottom of the creek.  Darren was happy fishing for a while, while I took photos and walked along the edge of the creek.

When we went back to the caravan, I made pizzas for tea while Darren set up his camp shower, and we all had nice warm showers in the ensuite tent.  Thomas went visiting after dark and started talking to some people that had made a little campfire.  They invited us over to share their fire so we took over our chairs and a cuppa, and talked to the people, while the boys cooked marshmallows.  It started to get a bit cold and one lady went to bed, so we headed back to the caravan and set up the swags.  The boys had both been a bit cold the last couple of nights, so I put extra blankets in their swags.  We all went to bed at about 9pm.

Day 45

DAY 45 – Monday
We got up and had showers and started packing up.  The first tour of the Barramundi Discovery centre was at 10am, so we headed there.  After a short film showing how they breed the barramundi and release them into local waterways, we headed into the area where the tanks were.  One tank was a breeding tank that contained both males and females, one tank held spare females, one tank held spare males, and one held Sooty Grunters which they were also breeding.  The fish in the tanks were the biggest fish ever!  The lady gave us some small fish and told us to hold them by the tail and just dip the head slightly in the water.  The barramundi see on the top of their head, and swam over to the fish, grabbing them in one fast move.  They grab like a vacuum cleaner by sucking rather than biting, but their swift movement scares the crap out of you!  All you could hear was the swish of the water and the occasional scream of the frightened fish feeder!  When the tour was over, we had a quick cuppa then went back to pack the van and hook on.

When Darren was backing the Pajero up to the van, a large hole appeared in the earth (possibly and old drainpipe caving in).  This caused a bit of excitement for the boys, but after letting the management of the park know, and placing a rubbish bin over the hole so that nobody else would drive into it, we were on our way.  We also said goodbye once again to Marilyn and Warren and Jimmy and Sue who were also staying at that park.

We made a short stop on the way to Normanton to take a photo of some brolgas.  It was really amazing to see them wandering wild beside the road.  Then at Normanton we stopped at the bakery and had pies for lunch.  The bakery was set up in a backyard shed.
We drove to Croydon and stopped at the Lake where the boys had a swim and then Darren and the boys tried to catch one of the elusive Barramundi that gets stocked there by the Barramundi discovery centre. Darren managed to land a couple of tiny grunter while Mitch hooked a Murray Cod that was slightly undersized and is illegal to keep up here. We hit the road again for the afternoon before pulling up at a roadside camp next to the Gilbert River. 

Darren and the boys set up the opera house nets and put them in the small amount of water that was left in the river.  The boys put on their orange overalls to avoid being bitten by mosquitos.  We chatted to two other couples that were also camping there the night, Darren checking out all the gadgets one of the couples had for their van and ute (Has he got some idea’s now!)before having hot dogs and vegies for tea.

Day 44

DAY 44 – Sunday

We all got up at 8.30am and drove around to the point for the Sunday market.  Thomas managed to con some free yoyo biscuits from one of the nice stall holders, as well as a new catch for his broken necklace (he got the catch from a lady that sells and makes jewellery – she took apart a necklace she had for sale to get a catch for him).  Darren bought some fishing lures and a fridge thermometer, and ordered a sticker “Upthemiddle N Downthecoast” for the back of the caravan.

When we had had enough of the market, we headed back to the caravan park for lunch.  Then the boys hit the pool.  Darren got a call to say that our sticker was ready, so he went across to the other caravan park to pick it up.  When he got back we decided to watch the footy in the caravan, only to find that the Lions V Adelaide was on tv, much to Darrens disgust!  A few minutes later we had the Hawks V Kangaroos streaming live on the internet.  Darren listened to the game while I caught up on a few glossy magazines.  At ¾ time in the footy I decided that we needed a swim, and coerced Darren into going to the pool.  A quick swim and then back to the footy to listen to the last quarter.
Once the footy was over and the boys were back from the pool, Darren organised the fishing gear while I organised tea, and we headed to the mouth of the river to do some fishing.  Darren spent most of his time running from rod to rod, to unsnag and rebait the boys’ lines, but managed to get a little bit of a fish himself.  Each of the fishermen managed to catch a fish or two, but nothing that was worth keeping.  We decided to head back to camp to cook tea, and had sausages and salad.  On the way back, we saw a large snake on the road.  We are not sure if it was a King Brown or a Taipan, and we certainly weren’t getting out of the car to check!  We watched a bit of tv, and by this time it was getting late and the boys hopped into their swags for sleep.

Day 43

DAY 43 – Saturday

We woke up early to find that Jimmy and Sue had already left.  Thomas took Marilyn and Warrens’ dog for a walk while we had breakfast and packed up.  We said goodbye to Marilyn and Warren and headed for Normanton for a fuel stop.

Normanton is the home of the “Big Croc”, so our first stop was the park where the croc was.  We took a few pictures and Darren rang and booked in to the Caravan Park at Karumba, because we were told that it was hard to get a site.  Then we went to get fuel.

The first place we saw had a sign up saying “sorry no diesel”, so we headed for Foodworks, which had fuel pumps on the footpath outside.  The fuel pumps were on the wrong side, so Darren had to drive up the wrong side of the street so that he could fill the car.  The boys bought an ice-cream each and we got back on the road.

At Karumba, we set up camp and the boys had a swim in the pool.  After some lunch we decided to go for a drive and explore Karumba.  We found a little fish and chip shop/wholesaler and decided that we would come back for tea. Then we drove across to the point and checked out some shops and fishing spots.  We parked at the Sunset Hotel and decided to stop for a drink.  The boys had their drinks and played chasey with some other kids that they met along the beach, while Darren and I enjoyed our drinks and the view out on the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Once back at the caravan, we changed to some mosquito proof clothing to go for tea, and we headed across to the fish and chip shop.  Thomas had the kids fish and chips, while Mitch, Darren and I all went for the barramundi with chips and salad, and we got some crumbed Moreton Bay Bugs to share.  The shop was BYO, so we had a few drinks while we enjoyed our food.  After dinner, we set up the boys swags and headed for showers before bed.

Day 42

DAY 42 – Friday

We got up early and headed for Mt Isa, arriving at about 9am.  After getting fuel, we drove around and found the Tourist Information/Mine Tour, only to find that the next tour wasn’t until 1pm.  We booked in and decided to do some shopping to fill in the time.

Darren found a BCF and I sat in the “bored wives chair” while he looked at everything in the store.  Peter had told him about a free camp where they had managed to net some “red claw”, so Darren decided that he needed some opera house nets.
We got a few things that we needed from the supermarket, and then had a browse around the shopping centre before heading back for the mine tour.  We made lunch in the carpark and then it was time for the tour.

Our tour guide was Bill, who had worked in the mines for 33 years.  We all had to put on orange disposable overalls, a hard hat and big rubber boots before heading off to the mine.  Thomas endeared himself to Bill and the boys became his “right hand men”.  At the entry to the mine, we all had to strap large batteries to our belts and miners lights to our hats, and then we were ready to enter the mine.  We all took turns at having our photo taken in the lift, with Bill hopping into a separate photo with the boys.  He said he would give them the copy of their photo as a momento (the other pictures were available for $10 each at the end of the tour).  Then we stepped into the lift which took us underground.  Bill let the boys go back up with him to get the other half of the group while we waited underground.

Once the whole group was underground, we hopped into a miners carriage, while the boys drove in the “mule” at the front with Bill.  Thomas rang the bell of the engine as we went.  Our “train” stopped at the “crib” room and Bill explained that this was where the miners started and finished their day, as well as being their tea and muster room. 
We all selected a name tag from the board and hung it on the “IN” board to show that we were in the mine.  We then walked down a corridor into the mine.  Bill was a fantastic guide, as he passed on his knowledge and memories from working in the mines.  The mine that we did the tour in was never a working mine, but had been built at a cost of $12 million for tours.  It has been set up exactly like a working mine, with equipment and machinery no longer used in the real mine being set up to show how the mines operate.
We got to drill a dynamite hole in a rock face, see a mine digging truck in action, as well as hear the stories that Bill remembered from his mining days.  Thomas and Mitchell enjoyed all the hands on experiences that they were able to experience.

Once we had seen the mine, we went back to the “crib” room and moved our tags to the “OUT” wall to show that we were out of the mine, and made a cuppa.  Bill then showed us how the bosses checked that everyone was out of the mine before letting Thomas push the button that set off the charges to blow the wall of the mine.  He pushed the button, and we experienced the sounds and vibrations that come with the blast.  We finished our cuppas and headed back to the lift with the boys riding in the “mule” again.

The boys operated the lift to get us back to the surface and we returned our battery packs and lights to be charged.  We washed our boots and returned them to the shelves, then went into the change rooms and took off our overalls.  We had to return the hard hat and belt, but were able to keep the overalls.  Teresa had been told that they were good for keeping the mozzies away, so we kept them.

The photos were at the main counter, so we purchased our family one, and Bill came out to make sure the boys got theirs for free.  We thanked him for the tour and went back to the car and got back on the road.

We arrived in Cloncurry at about 4.30pm and filled up with fuel.  As we were driving through the town there were people everywhere, lining the streets holding red balloons.  Darren hopped on the UHF to see if anyone would tell him what was going on.  We found out that it was the “Merry Muster”, which was a local annual celebration.  We didn’t have time to stop, so we got back on the road again.

The sun was setting when we got to the free camp, and there were already a lot of campers.  We found a spot where we were happy to set up and the boys could put their swags under a picnic shelter next to the van. 

I put some putanesca sauce on the stove and Mitch put some water on the portable gas cooker for the pasta, while Darren and Thomas had a look around.  They got chatting to the people in the van next to us.  There were two couples that had met that night too.  They were Jimmy and Sue from Portland, and Marilyn and Warren from Western Australia.  They both had dogs travelling with them, so Thomas elected himself chief “dog looker afterer”.  They had decided to have a barbecue tea that night, and we had our pasta at the same time.  The boys put on their mine tour overalls to avoid being bitten by mosquitos, and much to Marilyns delight, he gave her one of the spare suits to wear too.  We chatted to them for a while before heading to bed.

Day 41

DAY 41 – Thursday

We packed up camp and pulled around to the bowsers to get fuel.  After getting fuel and air, we said goodbye to Andrew, and thanked him for his hospitality.  Mitchell and Thomas both bought a Barkly Homestead singlet, and we headed for Mt Isa.

We reached the Northern Territory/Queensland border at about 1pm and decided to stop and make lunch.  Ham and salad wraps and a cold drink before getting back on the road.

At about 4.30pm we decided that we would be too late to do a mine tour in Mt Isa today, so we decided to pull into a free camp at an old World War II airstrip about ½ an hour out of Mt Isa.
We set up camp on the area behind the airstrip and the boys played Boules while I cooked tea.  We had a curry and rice for tea, before a friendly game of Cluedo which was won by Mitch.  We went to bed not long after dark.

Day 40

DAY 40 – Wednesday

We got up and got organised and said goodbye to Peter, Penny and the girls.  They wanted a picture of the “Magyver family” before we left, and then we hit the road.  The fuel at Daly Waters was fairly expensive, so we headed for a truck stop and Darren emptied the two jerry cans of fuel into the car to get us to Barkly Homestead.

Darren texted Shane and got him to contact his friend Andrew to save us a site, so we didn’t miss out.  We drove all day to get to Barkly Homestead (560km) at about 5pm.  Andrew gave us a key and told us to choose a site.  We set-up and headed to the bar for a look and a drink.  The bar/restaurant  was very clean and comfortable, and the meals looked lovely, so we decided to spoil ourselves and eat-in. 
After tea we caught up with Andrew for a while, but he was busy catching up on work from when he was in Darwin, so we headed back to the caravan and had an early night.

Day 39

DAY 39 – Tuesday

We had a bit of a sleep-in, and Darren decided to see if there was anywhere that he could do an oil change on the Pajero.  He asked at the bar and they directed him to a place down the road.  He put on his work clothes and grabbed the oil and he and Thomas headed off.  I cleaned up the van a bit and read a magazine.  Before long, Darren rang and asked if Mitch could bring his Jump start pack to him.  The battery had gone flat due to the Wayco draining the wrong battery.  They jump started the car and came back to camp.  We decided to have a look around Daly Waters and spend another night.

We drove up the road to an old World War II Airstrip for a look around.  Inside one of the hangars was a display of photographs and history of the site.  It was interesting to see that the airstrip was actually the first Australian International Airport, with planes coming from Australia and overseas.

Our next stop was the “S” tree.  This is actually a dead stump now, and you can faintly see the “S” that was carved into it in by John McDouall Stuart when he was exploring the area in 1862.  Not far from the tree is a flying fox that was used to carry people and food across the river during the wet season when Daly Waters was cut-off from the main roads.

Back into town and we went and checked out Chilli’s shop, and some of the other sights of Daly Waters, including the most remote traffic light.  The boys had a play with Chilli’s dog “Digger” and I am not sure if it was the dog or the kids that enjoyed it more! 

Once back at the caravan we decided that we had earned a swim, so we put on our bathers and grabbed our towels and headed for the pool.  The water was lovely and refreshing, so we stayed a while!

When we got back to the caravan we had new neighbours, Peter and Penny from the Sunshine Coast hinterland, and their two girls Chelsea and Olivia.  Darren chatted to them for a while and he and Peter compared widgets and gadgets, while they had a beer.  Before long they had struck up a friendship and swapped details.  Peter had a broken door on the toilet in his caravan, and Darren and he were trying to work out the best way to fix it.  Darren finished up using his Magyver skills and to Peters delight fixed the door with some Velcro tape.

We had curried sausages and vegetables for tea, and then headed over to the bar.  Mitch wanted to hear Chilli’s comedy act again and Thomas wanted to catch up with his friends for a game of pool.  We had a couple of drinks, and off to bed.

Day 38

DAY 38 -Monday

Up early, we had breakfast and headed to the entry point for the Nitmiluk Gorge cruise.  We showed our tickets and boarded the tour boat.  The guide completed a headcount and we were out on the water.  As we cruised along the river, there were heaps of people canoeing along the edges of the water.  We gave them a wave as we passed. 

We entered the first gorge and the view was amazing.  The cliffs lined the edges of the water and the plants hugged crevices where they could.  Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave us heaps of information on the history, the aboriginal people, water levels, plants and animals.  At the end of the first gorge, he moored the boat at a rock mooring, and we walked about 500 metres past some aboriginal art sites and alongside the rocky rapids, to where the next boat was moored ready to take us along the second gorge.

 We all got on the second boat and once again we were in a beautiful gorge surrounded by rocky cliffs.  This gorge was also beautiful, and was the one that is photographed in all of the pamphlets and advertising for Nitmiluk Gorge.  The guides words were “this is the most photographed real estate in Australia”, and with that the cameras started clicking again.  We went to the end of the gorge and then turned around and returned to the mooring, and walked back to the original boat.

On the way back to the end of the cruise, the guide decided that we would look for some crocs.  We saw a few along the edge of the river, directly opposite where we were swimming the night before, before the boat finally pulled into the pier and the cruise was over.

We headed to the visitor centre for a look while the kids raced back to the pool for one more swim before we hit the road.  Once back at the van, we packed everything up and headed into Katherine to do some food shopping (Darren needed beer too!).  On the way to Katherine, we got in contact with the Andersons and found that they were in Katherine too.  We made arrangements to meet them at McDonalds to say our goodbyes before they headed west and we headed east.

We did our shopping and headed for McDonalds where the boys had an ice-cream and I had a coffee.  The Andersons arrived and we swapped stories about what we had been doing since we last met.  We gave Reece a small birthday present for his birthday the next day.  We all said our goodbyes and we headed for Daly Waters.

We arrived at Daly Waters’ pub about 5.30pm and booked in for the Beef’n Barra special.  We headed off to the pub for tea and once again enjoyed the live entertainment.  First a guitarist/singer doing 50’s and 60’s music, followed by Chilli with his comedian act. 

Thomas found his way into the bar where he made friends with a couple of backpackers, Shane and Sam.  Shane was Irish and Sam was from New South Wales.  They were backpacking around Australia and had just started work at the pub.  Thomas organised a game of pool, which Shane and he won.  Shane bought him a lemonade and he was pretty pleased with himself.  We chatted to a few people in the bar before heading back to the caravan for bed.

Day 37

DAY 37 – Sunday

We got up early and packed everything up and headed to Cooinda for a look.  There wasn’t much to look at in the town itself, so we made our way to Yellow Water boardwalk and found a park.  We walked along the boardwalk marvelling at all the animal life that called Yellow Water home.  Back into the car, we decided to head for Katherine, as the other places to visit in Kakadu all involved many kms of dirt road, and I was over those corregations! 

We arrived in Katherine about lunchtime, after one stop on the way to fix the tv antenna which I had managed to snap off on a tree when pulling out of Yellow Water.  We drove around the town and checked out a few caravan parks before deciding to drive out to Nitmiluk Gorge (Katherine Gorge) to stay at the park out there. 

We set up camp and the boys hit the pool to cool off.  I was excited to find that the washing machines were complimentary....at other parks it was always $3 or $4 per load.  Thomas made friends with an old couple that were playing UNO Rummy Up, and conned a lesson and a few games with them. 

We decided that we couldn’t go without swimming in the Katherine River, so we grabbed our towels and noodles and headed for the river.  The trees around the river were filled with thousands (and that’s an under-exaggeration, not an over-exaggeration) of bats in the trees lining the river. 

Small sample of bats in the trees

 The smell of bat shit was foul!  We ducked and weaved our way down the path to the swimming area, being careful not to wear the foul smelling stuff.  Once on the jetty, we sorted our gear and jumped into the lovely cool water.  After some bombs and dives, and a bit of floating on the noodles, we headed back to the caravan for tea.